It may seem that your final 10 pounds are taking especially long to shed as you develop dieter’s impatience. But by sticking to your plan to lose weight, plus using a few extra tips, you will succeed.
If you have been working to lose weight for a long time, you know that almost nothing feels as good as realizing you are within the last 10 pounds of your goal. Yet for many, these pounds seem to be the hardest ones to lose — and keep off.
Losing the Final 10 Pounds
The closer you get to your goal weight, the more difficult things tend to be. In most situations you may have been dieting for a while.
Although you may be tempted to throw a little celebration when you arrive at this dieter’s milestone, this is not the time to lie back and snack on bonbons.
Really scrutinize what you eat — make sure you’re not becoming lax on your dietary principles,and the things that have gotten you this far. This is the moment when stray calories (and pounds!) can sneak back into your diet, so it pays to be detail-oriented. You have to look at what you eat, but also what you put out. Exercise is key.
Here are some tips for staying on track:
Keep a record of what you eat.
If you haven’t been keeping a food journal to lose weight, this is the perfect time to start. People who write down the details of their diet and exercise habits are twice as successful than those who don’t. If you can’t be bothered to write things down simply take a picture to have a visual record. It is not unusual to develop dieters amnesia. Sometimes you just can’t remember everything that may have passed your lips during the day. You may not remember but your body does.
Stick to the plate method.
The plate method in which one-half of your plate should be vegetables, one-quarter a starch (whole grains preferred), and one-quarter lean protein.
Build exercise into your day.
It’s great if you can work out for 30 minutes or more, but try adding in more exercise where you can. Park slightly farther away from your destination to get more walking in; take the stairs instead of the elevator.
Look for little ways to save calories.
Using mustard instead of mayonnaise or sugar-free sweetener instead of a packet of sugar will eventually add up to lost pounds.
When you reach your weight-loss goal, you will want to celebrate, but remember to remain vigilant. Seeing that goal weight on the scale may give you a “I have arrived attitude”. But giving up your diet entirely will surely push up those pounds again. You now need to move into a new phase: learning how to maintain the healthy weight you worked so hard to achieve.
